Christianity And Masturbation: Is It A Sin?

Is masturbation a sin? Believe it or not this is a hot topic and the answer is not an easy one. In fact, there is no clear-cut answer. The truth is that the Bible never makes mention of masturbation itself. Therefore, there really is no precise answer. If you are concerned about the sinfulness of masturbation, the best thing to do is look at both sides of the debate and determine the answer for yourself.

Why Masturbation May Be a Sin

Sex for Procreation

God created sex for the purpose of procreation; therefore, masturbation goes against God’s intent for procreation and contradicts the sanctity of marriage. According to the Bible, sex is intended to be pure and holy, an act shared between a husband and wife. Since masturbating is an act of self-stimulation for sexual pleasure, the idea of gifting oneself to their spouse is lost. So it would seem that masturbation goes against God’s idea for sexual design. Many Christians believe that sex is intended only between a married couple and masturbation is not acceptable.

A Question of Purity

The Bible states that Christians should be pure in thoughts and deeds, so does masturbation go against that ideal of purity? The argument is that the idea of wanting to be sexually pure and holy should deter Christians from the act of masturbation. Christians are taught to honor God with their bodies being free from sexual immorality and sin and thus to sin sexually is to sin against their own bodies and against God.

Lust

Many Christians believe that the true sin at the heart of this matter is lust. It is stated in the bible that Jesus commands us to deny desires of the flesh and that even to look at a woman with lustful intentions is to commit sin. Therefore, the belief is that feelings of lust associated with masturbation make the act sinful. Going along with that theory, the use of pornography and sexual fantasy during the act of masturbation is not holy or pure and can therefore be sinful.

While some Christians believe that achieving an orgasm brings one closer to God, others feel that the act of masturbation is about self-pleasure and not about being one with God. Most Christians feel that their acts should reflect a life of striving to be in God’s image and closer to God. Therefore, the act of masturbation does not benefit their relationship with God and is considered sinful.

So the argument in favor of masturbation is that since it was not worthy of being mentioned in the Bible’s scriptures, then it cannot be a sin.

There is much debate about Onan in the Bible and many people feel that what Onan did was to masturbate. He was condemned for his sins, therefore masturbation would be considered sinful. However, what actually happened was not masturbation at all. Onan was commanded to have sex with his dead brother’s wife in order to produce a child for his brother.

Onan did have sex with his brother’s wife, but decided that he did not want to bear a child that was not his own and pulled out of her, spilling his semen onto the ground. What Onan did is known as coitus interruptus, not masturbation. Onan sinned because he did not fulfill his obligation to his brother, not because he masturbated.

Some people believe that it is better to masturbate than to fornicate, since fornication is clearly outlined in the Bible as a sin. So therefore, masturbation may be the lesser of the two evils. In other words, perhaps it’s okay to masturbate to prevent the act of fornication.

So does that mean that the act of masturbation is preferable over the act of fornication? Simply put, yes it is, because fornication is deemed sinful within scripture. This is because the flesh masters the person who commits the act of fornication.

Others value the act of masturbation as a gift from God, simply because we are able to do it. In other words, God allows us to obtain pleasure through masturbation. It physically works, so therefore it is not a sin. For example, if you’ve ever tried to tickle yourself, you do not get the same sensation you do if someone else tickles you. With masturbation, you are able to orgasm and feel pleasure. It works effectively, so it is not considered a sin to some.

Some argue that as long as you are in control of your body and you are not a slave to the flesh, then it is not a sin. If you can masturbate on occasion without having it become a habit in which you are enslaved, than it may be okay to masturbate.

If you can become the master of your behaviors, then sin cannot master you. In other words, if you feel that masturbation is not a sin, it’s not one unless it is controlling you.So the argument in favor of masturbation is that since it was not worthy of being mentioned in the Bible’s scriptures, then it cannot be a sin.